Chinese Zodiac Signs & Years Calculator
Find your Chinese zodiac animal, element and yin–yang polarity. The calculator works out the Chinese New Year date for your birth year, so January and February birthdays get the right animal.
Chinese zodiac
Chinese New Year 1994 fell on 10 Feb 1994.
How the Chinese zodiac works
The Chinese zodiac runs in a 12-year cycle of animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Each year also has one of five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and a yin or yang polarity, giving a 60-year cycle.
Chinese New Year matters
The Chinese year begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice, between 21 January and 20 February. If you were born before that date, your animal belongs to the previous year. This calculator computes the new moon for your year.
Best and challenging matches
Animals four years apart form harmonious trines: Rat–Dragon–Monkey, Ox–Snake–Rooster, Tiger–Horse–Dog and Rabbit–Goat–Pig. Animals six years apart are considered opposites.
Chinese zodiac years
| Animal | Recent years |
|---|---|
| Rat | 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 |
| Ox | 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 |
| Tiger | 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 |
| Rabbit | 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 |
| Dragon | 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 |
| Snake | 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025 |
| Horse | 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026 |
| Goat | 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027 |
| Monkey | 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028 |
| Rooster | 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029 |
| Dog | 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030 |
| Pig | 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031 |
Years run from Chinese New Year, not 1 January.
Frequently asked questions
What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It is the animal of the Chinese year you were born in. Enter your birth date above to see it.
Why does my birthday in January give a different animal?
Chinese New Year falls between late January and mid-February. Births before it belong to the previous year’s animal.
What are the Chinese zodiac elements?
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, each lasting two years in turn.